Update 2: Apple announced that it sold more than 300,000 iPad on the first day of sales.
Update: Munster estimates 600,000 to 700,000 iPads sold.
Regardless if the iPad is a worthwhile addition to our wardrobe of gadgets or not, the fact that most of us are even considering to purchase it reflects Apple’s advertising prowess.
Long before the iPad was officially announced, “leaked” videos already found their way to YouTube, generating a great deal of hype. We continued to wait, as anticipation heightened.
Finally, on 27 Jan, Apple invited notable tech journalists and bloggers to its highly anticipated tablet launch keynote. The new Apple tablet was named the “iPad”, which was also poked fun of, contributing to more buzz on both traditional and digital media. The buzz had no sign of dampening, as Apple enthusiasts continued to talk about it. Several ideas came up even before the iPad was physically launched (e.g an iPad “carrier“), and several businesses were already attempting to ride the iPad wave.
The First iPad Ad
Apple never fails to impress. The first iPad ad was aired during the Oscars, which Steve Jobs also attended. Through the famous Apple style we are all familiar with, the 30 seconds ad showed what the iPad was capable of. The ad was certainly much better than the one HP came up with for “Slate“.
iPad Product Placement
Did Apple arrange an iPad product placement in TV Show, Modern Family? Probably. Several notable blogs have also shared about this, helping Apple generate even more free publicity. However, I feel that this product placement was a little too blatant.
TUAW summarized that episode very well:
“Throughout the episode, Phil’s wife waits in line at an Apple Store while she has her kids asking everyone they know if they can get their hands one on via Twitter, Facebook and text. It all works out in the end when Phil’s youngest son pulls an iPad out of a paper bag for his dad.”
iPad made covers of Time, Newsweek
Free publicity was given generously to the iPad. The Washington Post asked, “When was the last time that Time and Newsweek went with the same cover subject whose name wasn’t Obama?” Even local publishers were trying to push iPad related news in their technology section to keep up with the latest trend. There’s something about the Apple brand that attracts journalists (and bloggers) to cover its story. Even a mere software upgrade by Apple could become a trending topic on Twitter.
The Result – iPad Rush
The above series of communication and advertising events might not be complete, but it should provide a good overview of how the iPad was communicated across the world. The impact was insane. People were queuing for the iPad since Thursday night. Check out the video and pictures, courtesy of Mashable, who had their team down in both San Francisco and New York 5th Avenue to capture this special moment.
This is a dream come true for the marketing and communication team handling the iPad advertising account. But of course, a huge proportion of the credit goes to Apple‘s brand image and cult following that have been built over the years. And who’s the main guy behind this? Steve Jobs.
